Weeds Affect Millions of Acres of Public Lands

Field of spotted knapweed. Photo by Steve Dewey, Utah State University

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages close to 250 million acres of public lands primarily in the Western United States, including Alaska.

One of the BLM's highest priorities is to promote ecosystem health and one of the greatest obstacles to achieving this goal is the rapid expansion of weeds across public lands. These invasive plants can dominate and often cause permanent damage to natural plant communities. If not eradicated or controlled, noxious weeds will continue to jeopardize the health of the public lands and to constrain the myriad activities that occur on public lands.

The BLM works with State, Federal and local parters to reduce the spread of invasive species, with an emphasis on early detection of and rapid response to new invasions in order to reduce the need for larger, more expensive treatments later on.

Follow the links below to learn more about the BLM's invasive species program.